Foxstar's Ceremony
by RedPoppyEnkai
Summary: It's time for the Leadership of BrightClan to fall to Foxwhisker's shoulders.


I entered a Writing War and though I didn't win he decided to give a prize to everyone that participated in the fun!

Now I went through and gathered up all my friends from the war, we have: Curiosity, Pirate Ricky, Milky, Brooke, Rageheart, Dragon, Danky Cat, Ravenfrost, Lizard, Ivan, Silverheart, Exe, and Paci

I took everyone and dedicated a cat to them. I made the cat by coming up with three or four traits that described that person's personality then used their name to loosely come up with the cat's name.

Example (This one is mine)

Rockface /\\\ Roughpaw, clever, naive, short-tempered.

From this basic idea I built a cat

**Note: These cats aren't 'sonas! They are only dedications to my friends.**

Each person I have dedicated a story.

This particular entree is for Ricky

Here ya go Ricky! I made lil Foxy just for you! Good job in the war!

Also a shout out to my wonderful beta! Thanks for all your help Amber!

All the Connected Award Stories

AKA – The Bright Shadows Series

**1)** _**Foxstar's Ceremony**_

**2)** _Pouncepaw's Path_

**3)** _Wildfire's Lie_

**4)** _Pinkpetal's Luck_

**5)** _Goldenpaw's Rebellion_

**6)** _Daisykit's Horizon_

**7)** _Roaringblaze's Rules_

**8)** _Streamkit's Idol_

**9)** _Featherstream's Grave_

**10)** _Swiftbreeze's Skill_

**11)** _Whitepaw's Song_

**12)** _Roughpaw's Threat_

**13) **_Flightheart's Love_

Foxstar's Ceremony

Insecurities swam around in her belly, weighing her down almost as much as her grieving heart. She knew, in theory, that this day would come, but she was not ready for it. Could one ever truly be ready for the death of a dear friend? Could someone ever be so callous?

Foxwhisker was no stranger to pain and sorrow – she'd seen her mother take her last breath, she'd cast the final stone to exile her brother, she'd given up love in a fit of rage – yet it never ceased to crush her like a beetle under a Warrior's paw. She figures that that's what makes a cat a cat, the ability of empathy, opposed to a feelingless monster.

Still, she was going to miss Mudstar. What was she going to do without his advice? Without his smiles? How was she going to measure up to his wisdom? How was she going to be the Leader BrightClan needs?

Foxwhisker swallowed hard and raised her eyes to meet those of her sister.

"Don't look at me like that," Roaringblaze scolding gently, "and if you ask one more time whether or not StarClan really chooses you, so help me I'll send you up to Silverpelt myself!"

The light teasing eased the knot in Foxwhisker's chest. "Oh? A Medicine Cat that kills her new Leader before she can retrieve her nine lives? The scandal! And that's purely without mentioning the sororicide. Can you imagine the gossip?" Foxwhisker lamented melodramatically.

"Oh, what would mother say?" Roaringblaze cried back just as exaggeratedly.

The two she-cats broke into soft laughter.

"You can do this." Roaringblaze's meow was gentle, reassuring, and just what Foxwhisker needed.

"I can do this." Foxwhisker echoed.

"That's my girl." The Medicine Cat purred and turned her bright gold eyes to the opening that yawned in the ground at their paws. "When you go inside, follow your heart, you won't get lost."

"How can you be so certain?" Foxwhisker's voice was colored with curiosity more so than doubt, and Roaringblaze smiled at that.

"Oh, I just am," she replied cryptically. "When you get to the Moonriver, lie down next to it and drink from it. StarClan will send you to sleep so they may share tongues with you in your dreams."

"Is that all?" Foxwhisker was surprised by the simplicity of it. She had figured that it would be much more complex and laborious to reach out to their ancestors.

"That's all." Roaringblaze echoed.

"Right then. I better get going." Foxwhisker turned to the tunnel entrance and swallowed. It was dark and smelt of damp rock and stale air.

"Remember sister love, if you fear it, question it." Roaringblaze spoke the familiar words that they have shared since kithood and Foxwhisker nodded, raising her chin. She could do this. Her resolve hardened and she took a single step into the tunnel and let the shadows consume her.

Immediately, Foxwhisker felt as if frost formed in her russet fur, cold scratching at her skin with a whisper of claws. _Question it_, her sister's love rumbled in the back of her mind. So Foxwhisker did just that.

_I wonder why its so cold,_ she pondered as she cautiously crept down the tunnel. _Surely, just being under ground wouldn't make it as freezing as it is. Perhaps it has something to do with the damp. Then that begs the question of where the moisture is coming from. The Moonriver? No, that can't be. I'm no where near it yet._

And that was very true, at this point Foxwhisker was completely blind with the shadows of the tunnel. The space was narrow enough that if she swished her tail one way or another she could touch either wall on the sides of her, something she did often, nearly compulsively frequent. That still didn't stop her from running face first into a wall.

She yipped and pulled away from the ice cold rock, wriggling her nose until the sting went away. She had thought that she had walked a straight line, so _how did I manage to run into a wall? Did the tunnel curve?_

_Wait,_ she though as she swished her tail wide to her left, then her right, _I can't feel the walls._ She could just a minute ago, so what happened?

"_When you go inside, follow your heart," _Roaringblaze's words came to mind,_ "you won't get lost."_

Foxwhisker understood now. Roaringblaze had been more literal with the word 'lost' than she had originally thought.

It was a fork in the path.

_Interesting_, Foxwhisker though, trying to talk herself out of the sudden trepidation that made her tail twitch, _I wonder what will happen if it get lost?_ That thought opened a dam and thoughts of getting lost and dying of starvation and cold flooded her mind. She shoved them back. _No_, she told herself sternly, _Roaringblaze would never put me in danger like that. If she thinks I can do it, I can do it, StarClan knows she's wiser than I can ever hope to be._

_I just need to have faith. She has faith in me. I need faith in myself_. She took a deep breath and blinked her blinded eyes slowly. Slower, slower, until they closed.

"Faith. I need faith," she murmured aloud, her whisper sucked up and consumed by the darkness. "I need to follow my heart." Foxwhisker took a few more even breaths. _Shut off my mind, open my heart._

Breath in, breath out.

It was like a setting sun in her soul. Her bright mind slowly lowering to let the stars come out to play.

Breath in, breath out.

She will find her way. Not just to the Moonriver, but as a Leader, as a cat. She will follow her heart's advice.

Breath in, breath out.

With her mind and heart in the perfect balance of twilight, she opened her eyes.

Foxwhisker gasped, taking a step back in shock. She could see! and what she saw was absolutely breathtaking.

The tunnel to her left was lit up with thousands upon thousands of small sparkling rocks. They glowed dimly in the walls, on the floor, along the roof, shimmering like frost in an early morning sunrise, or stars on a clear night. A barely there breath brushed her whiskers, tasting of freshly fallen snow.

For several seconds all she could do was stare, until finally her thoughts kicked back in. _This must be the way to the Moonriver._ She slowly walked along the glittering tunnel. _Why didn't Roaringblaze tell me how beautiful this was?_

It took some time, four turns and lots of walking and staring, before a breath of breeze touched her again. The flavor of snow tickling her tongue. _I must be close_. She tilted her head to drink in the clear, clean scent again. She had never smelt something so pure. _That must be the Moonriver. I wonder why it smells like that? Maybe because it's so untouched?_

Next, as she got closer still, she heard the soft drip, drip, drip of a single droplet of water meeting stone, echoing vastly in layers. She recognized the sound of water, but was slightly confused. _Where's the rushing of the river? It all sounds too still._

One final turn and Foxwhisker found herself in a cavern. Fresh air washed over her and the glittering stones doubled in volume. There – right there! – cutting a path through the middle of the cavern, was an expanse of silver water, curling silently like a shinning snake from one end of the room to the other, as bright as the moon, glowing as it reflected light from a small hole in the roof.

_I made it._ Foxwhisker uttered a small sigh of relief, and approached the Moonriver with a renewed reverence. How beautiful.

She settled down next to it, the stone beneath her so cold it stuck to her fur and forced shivers down her spine. Leaning forward, she paused for only a second before taking a small drink from the silver liquid.

It went down crisp, so cold it burned, and tasted of happiness, honor, and earned praise. It made her want to drink again, chase that flavor until her belly burst. She dare not, fearing how easily she could find herself addicted if she did, and forced herself to pull back with a lick of her whiskers and settle down, closing her eyes.

Immediately the stone under her gave way, and Foxwhisker yowled as she plummeted through darkness. The glowing stones zipped past her, around her, like shooting stars as she fell. She fell and fell and fell, and dear StarClan it was going to hurt when she finally found the bottom. Her heart beat frantically, but she could hardly move, it was laborious just to turn her head.

Then she felt the weirdest thing, the touch of one of the sparkling star-rocks as it brushed feather-light across her fur. _What?_ her mind barely thought above her panic. More of the star-rocks began to brush over her, grazing her pelt as they circled around her. Their touch was like snowflakes and mother's kisses. _Wait... Am I slowing down?_

And she was. Her rapid decent loosing speed, abet slowly. The star-rocks were catching her! Slower, slower, until she was barely falling, more like floating like a cottonwood seed on a windless day. _Is this what it is like to fly?_ she thought abstractly. She slowed even more, the rock-stars nuzzling her affectionately, then her paws touched warm dirt.

Confusion gripped her. _What?_ but before she could get a real good look at her surroundings, the star-rocks left her fur, swirling around her like a whirlwind of lights and startling her into a crouch before shooting up and away. She followed them with her eyes until they became twinkling stars in the night sky.

_Night sky? _She quickly looked around. _I'm outside._ It was true. She was no longer in the cave next to the Moonriver. Warm dirt was underpaw and a night breeze brushed her cheeks. _This is High Bluff._ The towering cliffs of the Gathering Place surrounded her on three sides _It's strange, I've never seen this place not full of cats._ She continued to look around. _I must be dreaming. Funny, I don't remember falling asleep, but there is no way I could have gotten here otherwise._

She was crouched in the middle of the rocky area, right before the Tall Ridges that the Leaders stood upon to address the Clan. She found herself unable to move anything but her eyes and mildly her head, which was unfortunate and a little concerning, but she tried to distract herself from her discomfort by accessing her surroundings.

_I seem to be alone._ She twitched her nose, a worry gnawing in her belly. _Where is StarClan? Did I do something wrong already?_

A shimmering movement caught her eye, bringing her attention back to the Tall Ridges, a cat stood upon the highest and middlemost one. Stars glowed in his pelt and his eyes shown like fractured moonlight. Foxwhisker recognized him immediately

"Mudstar!" she gasped. The previous BrightClan Leader gave her a kind smile before casting his gaze about the clearing. Foxwhisker followed his line of sight and gasped again. Where the clearing had been empty only moments before, now it was full of starry cats. _Like a gathering in StarClan_, her mind supplied.

"Foxwhisker!" Mudstar's powerful voice rang true and strong in her ears, drawing her attention back to him as he bounded down from the High Ridges and prowled towards her. He stopped before her and Foxwhisker trembled in awe, lowing her head respectfully.

When she had last seen Mudstar he had been frail and eternally tired. Old in every sense of the word. That was not the case now. His frame was tall and sure, his shoulders broad with muscle and his muzzle void of all gray. He was at his full glory and his face was still so handsome and comforting.

When he spoke, his mouth moved but the voice was more than just his own. It sounded as if every cat in StarClan spoke as one with Mudstar as a mouthpiece. "Are you ready to receive your nine lives?"

"Y- yes." Foxwhisker hated that she stuttered in such an important moment, but it was not possible to keep her voice straight. "I am."

It wasn't a lie. She may not know what Mudstar saw in her that made him want her as his successor, she may be hesitant to step into power, she may not be entirely comfortable with her new, much, much more close connection to her ancestors and the spirits in general, but it was not a lie. She was ready for her nine lives because she had a Clan to serve and serve she shall, even if it took every one of her nine lives to get it right.

Mudstar nodded to her with a kindness and pride in his eyes that nearly made Foxwhisker blush, then he stepped aside and a new cat took his place.

She recognized the short gray and white fur immediately, Pineclaw, BrightClan's previous Medicine Cat and Roaringblaze's old mentor.

It was exciting to see him, even if he had been a grouchy badger most of the time she knew him. He was still an old friend who's death had been very hard. It comforted her to see him so healthy and tranquil.

He stopped directly in front of her crouched form and Foxwhisker felt fine tremors shake just under her skin as she waited with baited breath.

Pineclaw stooped his head and gentle touched his cold nose to her forehead. "With this life I give you Wisdom." He said in a soft rumble of a voice. "Use it well to guide your Clan through both hardships and your mind through difficult decisions."

A cold fire ripped its way through Foxwhisker, boiling her insides and freezing her from the ends of her whiskers to the tip of her tail. She held herself from screaming and her body didn't respond to her mind, so she was save the embarrassment of writhing on the ground like a wounded worm.

Visions filled her head. Of cats hanging on her every word, of decisions so hard that nothing could possibly be done right, of lives depending on her approval or scorn. Every choice she's ever made circled in her mind in a painful frenzy.

It pulsed in waves, once, twice, three times, then ebbed down. Finally her vision cleared of pain and her breath left her in a slow, relieved sigh. It was over.

_Oh_, it dawned on her, _that was just one life. Just one. I still have eight more to go._ Pineclaw gave her a small dip of the head, a very reassuring gesture from the stoic Medicine Cat. _I can do this_. Foxwhisker's resolve hardened again. _For my Clan_.

A new cat stepped forward, his shinning coat a dappled calico that heavily favored black fur and his eyes soft and gentle. Softshadow. Foxwhisker recognized her mentor. She had been Softshadow's first and only Apprentice. He had been killed defending young her, Roaringblaze, and another Apprentice from from a fox. Foxwhisker's bravery and tact in the situation was the deciding factor in her earning her Warrior name. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

Despite Softshadow's youth he had been a great mentor and his lessons on patience, skill, and overall life advice still help her to this day.

Softshadow touched his nose to Foxwhisker's head. "With this life I give you Patience." His gentle voice was like honey in her ears. "Use it well to lead your Clan with grace and a level head."

Again freezing fire scored through her blood. Even with her bracing for it, it still burned just as bad as the first time.

More visions entered her mind. Of all irritation struck from her mind and an endless well of calm following in its wake, of training distracted Apprentices and dealing with too proud Warriors, of being in repetitive, high stress situations and not once loosing sight of what's need or letting emotions run rampage.

The pain pulsed three times, such as before, before tapering off.

Softshadow stepped back and she was sad to see him leave. She really hoped she'll see him again some day. Anything was possible in dreams right?

The next cat that stepped forward she didn't recognized at first. He was small with a solid dusky brown coat and tall, tufted ears. When it did click, she understood why it took so long, she had not seen this cat since she was a kit.

_Mousestar_. The Leader of BrightClan before Mudstar. She could barely recall him. Mostly remembering him as a proud Leader that once gave her his squirrel during a harsh leaf-bare. _"You need it more than me",_ he had said with a rough purr, _"we got to keep you big and strong so you can be Leader someday."_

How he predicted that Foxwhisker will never know. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but as Foxwhisker looked into Mousestar's eyes, she highly doubted it.

He touched his nose to her forehead. "With this life I give you Courage." His voice echoed of the rocks around them, yet it did not sound as if he raised it. "Use it well to protect your Clan from danger."

More pain. More visions. Of screeching cats in battle, of the pain of claws in her pelt, of the strength to make the right decision both regarding and disregarding the feelings of righteous anger.

This life made her grit her teeth and her heart raced as if she was running for her life with a wounded leg. The pain pulsed, again, again, before evening out and disappearing. It took a moment to get her breath back and warm up from the icy flames that had consumed her. Once able too, she raised her head in time to see Mousestar stepping back and away.

A gasp ripped from her mouth and if she has been able to move, she would have bolted to meet this new cat halfway. Instead he approached her with a mischievous twinkle in his eye that was so achingly familiar even after all these seasons of being without it.

"Kestrelpaw." Her voice was a whisper of adoration. The Apprentice was just how she remembered him. Light gray and lighter gray with expressive blue eyes.

Back when she was Foxpaw, her and Kestrelpaw had been inseparable. Thick as thieves. He was her right hand cat and she his. At the time she wanted to be his forever, and honestly, a big part of her still did, even after she saw his beautiful eyes hazy with death.

She wanted to talk to him, asked him how he was doing, if- if he missed her as much as she missed him, but her tongue wouldn't work, it sat useless in her mouth and her eyes watered with emotion.

"You're doing great." Kestrelpaw whispered to her. It was the first time a StarClan cat truly addressed her and the fact that it was her old almost lover made it even more special. "Keep it up, you can do this." His crisp scent washed over, making her heart clench and her legs turn to water, as he leaned in to touched his nose to her head.

"With this life I give you Love." Kestrelpaw's voice echoed in her bones. "Use it well to give compassion and feel life to its fullest."

She expected more pain, was bracing for it, but was highly, and pleasantly, mistaken. Warm bubbles filled her to the brim. Soft nights talking the time away with Roaringblaze came into memory. Images of her old Apprentice, Flightheart, at her Warrior Ceremony and of Mudstar and Featherstream gossiping as they make faces and call each other pet names. Kestrelpaw was there too. His warmth embracing her like a blanket of moss on a stormy night. Days of them honing their skills with mock fights, evenings with them sharing tongues, and nights of when he would sneak into her nest, complaining of the cold, to cuddle close.

The images faded away too quickly and Kestrelpaw began to move away. _No!_ Foxwhisker's mind screamed, when her mouth wouldn't. _Don't leave me! Please!_

Kestrelpaw paused and Foxwhisker wondered for a split heartbeat if he heard her silent plea. He stepped back in close and touched his nose to hers, locking eyes with her intimately. They held there, Foxwhisker completely wrapped up in his loving presence. It didn't last long enough, she wasn't exactly sure how long Kestrelpaw stayed with her, but it wasn't long enough. He gave her cheek a sweet nuzzle that pour every drop of his acceptance and love into her, then pulled away for good.

Foxwhisker watched him leave with sad eyes. _I wonder if I'll see him again._ Her morose thoughts grew a hopeful ridge. _I will, in glimpses of dreams and definitely when I myself go to StarClan, but for now he has given me a life, and I'll make him proud of how I use it._

A small ball of fluffy fur bounded towards Foxwhisker, the movement drawing her eyes to it.

_Dawnkit!_ The young kitten who had died in a LightClan raid shortly after Foxwhisker was made Deputy. Her life had been cut so short in such a tragic way. She could still hear Featherstream's pained howls as she curled around the dead body of her kit.

Seeing her now with a wide excitement on her fresh face and her long fur groomed and full of stars and glittering frost, was reassuring. Seeing her happy and in no pain was reassuring

Dawnkit put a tiny paw on Foxwhisker shoulder before leaning in to touch her tiny nose to the elder cat's head. "With this life I give you hope." Her voice was high and squeaky with youth. "Use it well to to always wish and strive for the best and to raise the spirits of your Clan."

A bright fire burst in her chest, it's cold flames spreading out through her blood, eating her alive. Visions of determination and of prayers and of battles won by moral and the skin of their teeth. The pain pulsed, pulsed, pulsed then drained away.

Releasing a slow breath, Foxwhisker blinked the pain from her eyes in time to see Dawnkit leave her.

A solid white she-cat with long, shaggy fur heavily crisscrossed with scars and a broad, flat face stepped forward.

She looked exactly like Foxwhisker remembered her. From the sharp eyes to the overly long fur to the heavy scarring. Not many of the StarClan cats she's seen so far have had bad scars, yet here Clawfrost stood, a contradiction like she always was.

Clawfrost had been BrightClan's head Queen for most of Foxwhisker's life. At the time Foxwhisker didn't understand why Clawfrost would want to be a Queen when she was the best fighter in the entire Clan. Now, Foxwhisker understand her choice much better.

A poignant pause followed as Clawfrost looked at Foxwhisker carefully, her judgmental and harsh eyes very calculating, before she stooped and pressed her nose to Foxwhisker's head, her whiskers brushing just slightly.

"With this life I give you a Mother's Love." Her voice was powerful and large. "Use it well to acknowledge that the entire Clan is now your kin and to treat and protect them as such."

Agony. Pure and simple. Images of kits and mothers, images of what a mother would do for her kit. Pain of a kit doubled, tripled, in the heart of its mother. Family portrayed as the happiest thing in one second, and a the bringer of all pain in the next. Ice shards of sadness and flames of rage tangled together inside her and pushed on her heart.

Foxwhisker thought that the lives had hurt before, but as the pain pulsed, she wondered if she could pass out and if that would ruin her ceremony. Would throwing up be any better?

Finally the emotion and pain slowed, then stopped. When Foxwhisker opened her eyes, she saw something that made it all worth it. A small look in Clawfrost's eye. Could that be pride? Had she really just impressed Clawfrost? The thought soothed her and excited her simultaneously.

Clawfrost backed away.

_That was six,_ she reminded herself. _I'm almost done. Three more to go._ The fact that her dream was more than half way done, actually saddened her. So many of her friends were here, it would hurt to leave them yet again.

A ginger and white mottled tom took Clawfrost's place. Even with him looking so spry and young, she recognized the Elder who's stories she would risk her mentor's wrath for. _Cherrytail_!

He ambled along slowly. He never really was in a hurry to do anything. _Just like he used to be,_ this amused and brightened her spirits, _maybe StarClan doesn't change cats as much as everyone thinks._

Finally, Cherrytail reached her and pressed his nose to her head. "With this life I give you Curiosity," he purred. "Use it well to never forget to question. No matter who you are, a 'kit, a 'paw, or even a 'star, you can stand to learn something new every day. Not that _you _need telling that, huh Foxwhisker?"

Currents of flame and rivers of ice ambushed her, focusing heavily in her head as they put more and more pressure into it, until Foxwhisker was sure it was going to explode. The pressure doubled, tripled, pulsed, pulsed, pulsed, then eased.

Once over Cherrytail gave a small huff of amusement that was oh so familiar after she had long thought the noise forgotten to time and bad memory. "You know, I knew you would be Leader," he declared, surprising Foxwhisker with his informality. "I have a sense about these things. Like that one time I-"

"That's enough." A new voice cut in. A voice that made her heart soar. It was playful and sweet, but also stern enough to immediately be listened to. "Move along, Cherrytail. As much as Foxwhisker would love to listen to your story, there is a time and a place and that is neither here nor now."

Cherrytail laughed it off with a "right, right," and stepped away. A blue-gray and black spotted she-cat took his place.

_Mother!_ Foxwhisker wanted to scream. Silverlake's eyes were warm and when she leaned in she nuzzled her daughter gently. Her touch was like midnight breezes and love and Foxwhisker relished it, absorbed it, craved it.

"I'm so proud of you, darling." She whispered and Foxwhisker felt heavy emotion clog her throat. Hearing her mother say that, to know that she was doing right by Silverlake's standards, was relieving and uplifting.

Silverlake rested her nose on Foxwhisker's head. "With this life I give you Happiness," she whispered. "Use it well not only to ensure your Clan's happiness but your own as well."

It tor through her in a warm sort of way. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel as her vision clouded with freezing pain and her mind opened to every possibility. She saw paths ahead of her, trails and tribulations, but always a warm feeling in her gut, in her heart. A wisdom to know when to sacrifice her own happiness for the good of the Clan and when to take it and relish it for her own.

The pain rolled in three waves, then subsided. Foxwhisker blinked up slowly at her mother. _I love you._ She tried to project the though out with her eyes. Silverlake seemed to understand, for she purred and gave her one more nuzzle before stepping back to join the lines of StarClan Warriors.

It hurt to see her go.

Mudstar took his place in front of her. _This is it. My last life._ Her thought were scattered and slightly hysterical. _I wonder what will happen next._

Mudstar leaned in and pressed his nose to her head, his touch burned like a star. "With this life I give you Faith." He meowed in his booming voice. "Use it well to never let yourself fall astray."

For the last time, her blood boiled and froze at the same time. Images of nights staring at the starry sky and voices in prayer, feelings of self-confidence and faith in her decisions, actions, and words, faith in herself and faith others have in her.

The pain thumped in her like a second heartbeat, just a hair off from her own rhythm. It thumped, arcing again, and again, more than three times, it keep cresting in waves, faster and faster until the pain started to fade and was replaced by pure emotion of every kind. The thumping finally synced up with her own heart and Foxwhisker thought it was going to explode with all that pressure, moving faster and faster.

It stopped. Abruptly. One second her body thrummed with extra life, too much life, the next it settled and she was completely fine. Her heart not even racing. _Odd_, she hummed silently in her head, _but what part about this hasn't been ethereal and strange?_

Mudstar stepped away from her and raised his head proudly. Foxwhisker felt the invisible binds fall from her, allowing her to stand from her crouch and twitch her whiskers. She matched Mudstar's tall stance the best she could. She would _not_ let these spirits, her friends and family, down. They had trusted her with lives and she promises, she _swears_, that she'll use every last one in the best way she can.

She will be wise, patient, courageous, loving, hopeful, protective, curious, happy, and faithful. She will do right to the best of her abilities.

When Mudstar speaks, his voice echoes in her very bones. "I hail you by your new name, Foxstar." Her name sounded so foreign, but so right, as it left Mudstar's mouth. "Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of BrightClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the Warrior Code; live each life with pride and dignity."

He gave her just seconds to process his earth shattering words, before he tilted his head back and called her name. "Foxstar!"

It was echoed among the ranks of the StarClan cats. "Foxstar! Foxstar!"

Soon every voice in the starry sky was chanting her name. "Foxstar!"

"Thank you." Foxstar whispered softly, meeting Mudstar's dark eyes. She bowed her head. "Thank you."

Between one blink and the next, Foxstar found herself lying next to the Moonriver. Her body chilled from the cold, stone floor and lack of movement.

It was over.

Foxstar felt disappointment and sorrow at leaving all her friends, but she swallowed it, banished it from her mind. She had a Clan to lead.

Hauling herself to her paws, she started her journey out of the tunnels.

Her thoughts were still tangled and hard to pick apart. Exhaustion didn't help much, even though she knew she had just slept, she felt like she had gotten no rest. Besides, she had time to organize her thoughts later. Nine lives worth of time in fact.

She followed the sparkling rocks until they faded into darkness. Confusion made her tilt her head, but when a soft breeze of warm, new-leaf air touch her, chasing the taste of freshly fallen snow away, she understood that she was close to the exit.

When she exited into the quartermoon light, Roaringblaze was instantly by her side. "Foxwhisker, sister, how did you go? Are you alright? Did you get your nine lives?"

Foxstar chuckled at her sister's excitement. "Foxstar." She corrected with pride. "It's Foxstar now."

"Foxstar, huh? That sounds pretty good on the tongue," Roaringblaze mused, but a teasing twinkle quickly entered her eye. "Don't get all big headed about it though!"

Foxstar laughed.


End file.
